Rodney Atkins’ Old-School Storytelling Style Is Translating Pretty Well to the Streaming Age

Since dropping his Caught Up in the Countryalbum in May of 2019, Rodney Atkins says he's been pleasantly surprised by how seamlessly his old-school brand of country storytelling has translated to the digital age.

"Because you don't know, working on an album as long as I do -- and to see a response, it's everything," the singer told The Boot at the 2019 CMA Awards, alongside his wife, songwriter Rose Falcon.

"It's been really incredible to go out on the road and have all these people suddenly singing new songs. And to be able to just kinda hold the mic out there -- they know every word. They know when to clap and when to stomp," he continues. "It's fantastic ... because I didn't know if I was going to be accepted as a streaming artist."

Atkins knows that a lot of his peers in country music are moving away from the album format, in favor of dropping shorter projects or even taking their careers one song at a time. Though he's a stalwart defender of the kind of storytelling that a full-length album can afford an artist, Atkins says he sees the appeal of focusing on shorter projects. He might even try it himself, next time around.

"Because people get it instantly," he points out. "You don't have to wait for all this BS that you have to go through. So that's pretty cool, and I'm ready to embrace that."

Most recently, Atkins showcased his prowess as a storyteller with the release of his music video for "Thank God for You." The clip stars Falcon as Atkins' real-life love interest, and his son, Elijah, as a younger version of the lead character.